The Stars That Circle the Moon
by Swaglestia
Summary: Small stories and drabbles that focus on the faithful student and the estranged sister.
1. How Many Points Do I Receive?

**The Stars That Circle the Moon**

Entry One: **_How Many Points Do I Receive?_ **

Warning: Suggestive implications, but nothing explicit.

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><p>"I do believe 'tis thy turn, my dearest." Luna raised an eyebrow at Twilight, the edge of her lip on the brink of a condescending smirk as she hushed a small laugh. She glanced at the game board (that may as well have just spelled out 'HAHA, LUNA WINS AGAIN'), then at the frantic desperation on her opponent's face. Looking down at the small wooden tray that held her remaining three letters, she contemplated her next move almost effortlessly. Now bored, she crossed her hooves; waiting. This was <em>too <em>easy.

Meanwhile, Twilight was mere seconds away from flipping the table over, blowing up the library, and banishing Luna back to the moon. Her brow was furrowed in a concentration so deep and forced that it was _painful_, a dull ache pounding away at the base of her horn. _This can't be! _Wide-eyed, she ricocheted back and forth between her letters and the board. Nothing. _Impossible! _This must have been some sort of sick joke; yes, that was it, and now all she had to do was wait for Dash and Pinkie to pop out of a bookshelf and tell her that they rigged the game and it had been a prank all along. This inconceivable turn of events could never occur without outward intervention. She had been the Canterlot champion three years in a row, president of the club, and she even had a plaque dedicated to all of her winnings in the capitol's gaming hall; she was practically _royalty_ when it came to this thing! And now she was being dethroned. By Luna.

_ Twelve times in a row._

The severely clenched muscles in her face relaxed as she sighed, defeated. "I have to pass."

"Pardon?" Luna looked up nonchalantly, feigning that she wasn't listening. Again, she had to suppress a sea of laughter from escaping her throat.

"I said I have to pass," she stated, her voice hitting a flat note. The agitation that brewed was only rivaled by the extreme weight of self-disappointment. _Twelve times in a row! _A particularly critical sector of her mind growled at her, sounding more like a scolding mother than her own inner voice. "It's your turn now."

The princess's horn became illuminated in a deep cobalt glow, magic ensnaring her remaining letters. Lazily, they drifted to the board and placed themselves meticulously in position between two other words, conjoining them like a bridge. In disbelief, Twilight's head jutted out to assess Luna's move. She noted that the goddess had creatively incorporated her letters in obscure spaces that Twilight would not have even dreamed of attempting herself, almost as if the princess took the game as some sort of artform. However, the word she had devised appeared... doubtful. The unicorn didn't hesitate to take complete advantage of that.

"Aha!" Twilight exclaimed with a twinkle of crazed triumph in her eyes, throwing a hoof in the air for dramatic effect. "'MUZJIKS' isn't a word!

Luna was unfazed, the same bored feline indifference etched on her face. "'Tis, indeed, a word."

"Prove it!" Desperation creeped into her every syllable, this same voice hauntingly reminding her: _twelve times in a row! _

As if rehearsed, the princess levitated a nearby book out of its wooden home, thick and heavy with volumes of information. Without as much as a mere glance, her magic flipped quickly through the pages, making that distinct rustling sound that was music to a reader's ears. Once content, Luna's horn sauntered the book over to the frantic unicorn across from her.

"Fourth definition down," she stated matter-of-factly, a hint of playfulness ebbing its way through. Attempting to mask how secretly entertained she truly was, she watched as Twilight snatched the book and skimmed through the entry with haste. A carrousel of emotions circled her face, inhabiting every spectrum from malice to confusion and eventually landing on one that declared surrender and admitted supreme defeat.

"It _is _a word..." Twilight absently plopped down on her rump, directing the statement more to herself than anyone else.

"Well, my love," Luna began, sweet laughter tickling her voice. "It appears I am the victor, yet again."

_Thirteen times in a row!_

The unicorn sighed, vigorously attempting to analyze how in Equestria she (three-time Canterlot champion!) had been so easily thwarted at her own game by a pony who suffered from a thousand-year time lapse. Must be some crazy arcane alicorn powers, she assumed, with the ability to make words up and pass them off as legitimate! Or maybe Celestia had a spell to telepathically communicate with her sister, and she was feeding her words from a dictionary! Twilight could see it now; the elder princess curled up comfortably on a mat, drinking tea and curtly chortling as she spewed impossible words into Luna's psyche, guiding her to victory.

"Shall we go another round?" The princess pseudo-innocently grinned, obviously amused at how her consistent winnings were driving Twilight absolutely insane.

"I..." The younger mare looked down, her face adorned in an exhausted half-frown. The downcast demeanor of her companion almost tempted Luna into feeling the slightest pinch of guilt. "I give up. You obviously have the upper-hoof here."

"Art thou certain?" The princess probed on, some undetectable excitement dancing across her eyes. "Dost thou not remember our _agreement_?"

_How could I forget? _Twilight's mind sneered, recalling the misty whisper that brushed against her ear mere hours earlier, the warm breath eliciting involuntary shivers from the tip of her horn to the base of her tail.

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><p><em>'Twilight,' <em>Luna's voice had called over to her from across the room, her head rising up from under the depths of the unicorn's bed (What she was searching for down there, Twilight hadn't a single clue). She had fished out a thin cardboard box, a film of dust covering its entirety. _'What might this be?'_

The younger mare had instantly recognized it, a pang of nostalgia coercing her heart as small tidbits of fond memories flashed through her brain. But this was the princess she was dealing with, and although they had gotten quite _comfortable _with each other over the past few months, in no way was she going to tarnish her image by repeatedly screaming, "yes!" and fangirling around the room like a filly.

_'Oh, that.' _Twilight attempted to casually brush it off as impassively as possible, a large portion of her wanting nothing more than just to rip open the box and play against anything, even considering challenging Owloysius if she became desperate enough. _'It's just some old game.' _She felt her heart drop by even uttering such blasphemy, making a mental note to apologize to it later.

_'A game?' _Luna's ears perked up. _'What is the objective of this game?'_

Struggling not to appear too eager, Twilight trotted over to the box. As she opened it, the anticipation grew and she almost felt ashamed for being so thrilled over something as trivial as this. _'Well,' _She began, blowing the dust off the board and carefully laying it out on the floor between them. _'We each start with seven letters. The object of the game is to use the given letters to make words on the board. Whoever runs out of letters first and has the highest score wins.' _Oh, she could have gotten into _much_ more detail.

Luna had grown quiet, a thoughtfully distant look embellished her face as she peered down at the game before her. The princess's rigorous pondering felt tangible as Twilight waited, earnest and expectant.

_'If I may propose a deal,' _Luna said finally, looking up at the unicorn. Like lightning, something precarious and predatory quickly flashed behind her eyes. _'If thou should triumph over me in this game_ _of words, then I shall bestow a reward upon thee.' _She stalked closer, a smirk emblazoned on her face.

_'Uh,' _Twilight flushed deep crimson as Luna nuzzled up against her, almost certain that the larger mare could easily hear, if not _feel_, the relentless pounding of her heart that could have been mistaken for a stampede. _'A reward, huh?' _A high-pitched nervous chuckle escaped her, feeling like a foolish schoolfilly.

_'Yes,' _Luna's lips brushed against Twilight's ear, her whisper eating away any conscious thought that may have been left intact. _'A reward of the flesh...'_

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><p>Thirteen times. In. A. Row.<p>

"Sure, we'll play another round." Begrudgingly, Twilight gave in, hopelessly unable to ever say 'no' to the mare in front of her but still frustrated enough to allow the darkness to seep into her voice. She cleared the game board of its pieces, then reluctantly redistributed them as she prepared for yet another carnal whooping.

Twilight watched as Luna calculated her next move, willing to bet her entire library that the word would surely be lengthy and painstakingly pretentious. The pieces became airborne, the blue aura gravitating them into position. Upon only seeing three letters, the younger mare curiously peeked at the board. She cocked an eyebrow.

'CAT.'

She gazed up at Luna, suspicious. The princess merely smirked back.

Twilight had won that round.


	2. Pillow Talk

**The Stars That Circle the Moon**

Entry Two: **_Pillow Talk_**

**Author's Note: This is an experimental piece, trying out different writing styles. As opposed to my detail-saturated writing, I'm dabbling in minimalism. Plus, I'm working on honing my dialogue. I hope it went well, haha.**

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><p>"Luna?"<p>

"Hmm?"

"I have a question, if you don't mind." It was the voice of a pony who had just reached their prime. Young and eager, but articulate and beyond their years.

"I have an answer." This voice was mature, unwavering, dark. It reminded the younger one of silk.

"It's kind of..." The smaller one mused thoughtfully, considering her word choice. "Personal."

The reply was a tiny, but genuine, laugh. "I do believe we have been as _personal _with each other as possible, Twilight Sparkle."

The younger pony blushed and subconsciously pulled away, suddenly feeling unexplainably shy. Stronger hooves reeled her back into an embrace.

"I was just wondering," she continued as she felt warm nuzzling in the crook of her neck, the older one unmistakably smiling against her fur. "What was it like?"

"What dost tho-" The older one blinked and shook her head, continuing. "What do you mean?"

"How was the..." Hesitation. The careful assembly of the right diction. "T-the moon. You never talk about it." The smile that pressed along her neck jerked away.

"And for good reason."

The younger one suddenly felt a kind of guilty stupidity, like she had said the wrong answer in front of an entire class or accidentally ruined a day's worth of hard work. She blushed again, this time ashamed of her carelessness. "Oh! I'm sorry..."

Silence. Only the sound of bedsheets stirring next to her and leaves rustling outside the window. Somewhere in the distance, an overnight train pulled into the town's station.

"I do not remember much."

"Huh?"

"The moon, Twilight Sparkle." The older one drew in a long breath, as if anticipating something. "I fail to recall most of it."

"Do you remember anything at all?"

"Insatiable and curious as always, I see." She gave a short laugh, but the carefree tone that once rang through the room had turned forced and disdainful. Her eyes were half-lidded and distant, but as intense as ever. "However, I suppose thou deservest to-" She halted and gave a curt, vexed huff. "I mean, you deserve to know."

"You don't have to correct yourself around me." The younger one smiled, hoping that the comfort was seen in the dark of the room. "Plus, I kinda like it."

She returned the smile but it was strained and faltering, an esoteric breed of boundless grief and affliction bubbling at the surface. Closing her eyes, she began with a sigh. "'Twas cold, my love; very, very cold." As if experiencing it all over again, she snuggled closer to the smaller pony, trying to find some degree of ease from the deep-seated seeds of suffering. Her voice trembled, the walls of the past closing in. "I felt hollow, as if there was a void I besought to fill. Plagued by the same loneliness that morphed me. Anger, blackness; 'tis all I am able to recall."

"All of that for an entire millennium?"

"Think of it as slumber, but dreaming in emotions as opposed to images."

The younger one's voice grew more excited despite the grim subject matter, her thirst for knowledge unknowingly countering sympathy. "And what about Nightmare Moon? Were you conscious when she had control?"

She flinched. "Thou doth ask far too many questions."

The younger one laughed nervously, internally cursing herself for her incessant probing. "I guess I should stick my hoof in my mouth then, huh?"

The silence returned, this time even more cumbersome. There was a ticking clock that had previously gone unnoticed, but at that moment every _tock _seemed as loud as a rainboom. The younger one attempted to distract herself by looking at anything and everything in the room, but found that situations were considerably harder to avoid in the dark and in a bed.

After what seemed like an eternity, the older one broke the silence. "What was it like?"

"What was what like?"

"Before thou camest to Ponyville and obtained friendship?"

"Well," she paused thoughtfully, truly mulling over the sudden question. "I felt cold and hollow, like there was a void in me. I was lonely, angry..."

The older one's smile returned.


	3. The Second Best Thing

**The Stars That Circle the Moon**

Entry Three: _**The Second Best Thing**_

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><p>Luna was many things.<p>

Stupid was not one of them. Neither was blind.

So as she, Twilight, and her sister (in that order) sat around a table on one of the higher castle balconies and enjoyed a small brew of tea in the early pre-dawn hours, Luna could just _feel _it. Twilight's gaze rarely left Celestia's, straying away only when she levitated the porcelain cup to take a meek sip; yet, even then, it seemed the unicorn's eyes still somehow managed to be fixed to her mentor's one way or another. It was, well... Obnoxious, to say the least. The conversation centered around the typical routine of filling Celestia in with the details of Twilight's studies, the Sun Goddess sometimes adding her ever-sapient, effortlessly philosophical two cents. The young scholar, of course, gobbled up the princess's words like a servant in desperate need for her master's acceptance and assurance.

_Must I be so grim?_

Luna quietly scolded herself for the comparison, but the darker side of her mind seemed to merely shrug and move on, continuing its private barrage of snide remarks. Perhaps she was jumping to rash conclusions, as she often times did. Perhaps her jealousy (she undetectably grimaced, the word going down with a sour taste) was toying with her sense of judgement. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was absolutely, positively, definitely nothing to worry about. No, ma'am. Nothing wrong here. Move along.

A small, nervous giggle escaped Twilight. Celestia beamed back down at her, an ivory tower shining with pride.

_Perhaps my suspicions were correct._

Luna's aura enveloped the tea, the unintentional malice behind the action almost accidentally crushing the porcelain in its forceful grip. She watched the pair sharply as she levitated the cup to her lips. The liquid seemed to swell in her mouth, leaving her throat no other option but to reluctantly and uncomfortably choke it down. What was the purpose of her even being present? Her sister and her marefriend (_what a revolting word_) appeared to have enough company within themselves and, to be frank, she preferred coffee over the odd, too-natural thinness of tea. _Now you're merely making petty excuses, _her thoughts interrupted, snarky as ever.

So, she did what she always had done when things weren't going her way.

She fled. And she sulked.

The dainty teacup landed on the table with a petite _clink! _as the Princess of the Night cleared her throat in a similarly subtle fashion. "If thou wilt excuse me," she announced, rising up from the chair and attempting to remain as stoic as possible. "I do believe I must tend to a small number of duties that seemed to have slipped my mind."

Celestia immediately gave her an all-too knowing look; a quick, imperceivable, discerning flash of grave understanding. With a small lump caught in her throat, she knew the elder one's mind was already unsheathing the blade in preparation for the duel of words the two of them were sure to have once her student left.

"The sun is set to rise very soon, Luna," Celestia chided, her words hoof-picked and precise. "Surely these things can wait until the night court, once you've rested." She raised an eyebrow, as if saying, _I know you better than you know yourself, sister._

"I'm afraid these matters are of great importance, and I have been regrettably procrastinating." _Two can play at this game, Celestia._

"Very well, then." The Sun Princess sipped her tea, an air of polite modesty surrounding the gesture, although her eyes never stopped burning directly into Luna's. "Duty calls. I, of all ponies, would be the one to understand." She smiled a smile that was so knowing and condescending and presumptuous and _oh i just want to blast that smile clear off thy face and make thee eat it and-_

"You'll be back before I have to leave, right?" Blissfully unaware of the hidden dialect between the sisters, Twilight suddenly appeared slightly dejected. Her voice seemed to gently plead, throwing a box of guilt on top of the heavy load Luna was already carrying.

The younger princess's expression softened at the words, the unicorn's eyes never failing to completely puncture her composure. She reached down and nuzzled her for good measure, whispering a gentle, "Of course." Turning to Celestia, she gave a curt nod and flared her wings, taking off into twinkling, dark early morning sky.

Luna wasn't much of a flyer, only apt to feeling the soaring weightlessness when the need arose for it, one of those times being _right now_. Scouring the outskirts of the castle, she settled for a peculiarly small lake that appeared private enough. She landed with a tiny thud as her wings kicked up a torrent of dirt. Even in the dark, the water was stunningly crystal clear, her reflection peering back up at her with hollow eyes.

She looked...

_Pathetic_.

Sighing, she attempted to collect herself. Uncertainty clawed at her gut like a fat, black monster, the whispers of her doubt skewing her sense of clarity. Did Twilight Sparkle look at her with the same shimmering, radiant gleam as she did Celestia? Was the unicorn harboring and feeding a hidden, abstruse love for her mentor? It seemed plausible; the unconditional admiration, all the years they've shared together, Celestia's sense of compassion and benevolence despite her supremacy. It was only natural that, after the personal closeness they shared, that the student would inevitably fall in love with the teacher.

Especially one as beautiful and pure and perfect as Celestia.

Luna hung her head.

Old habits were certainly hard to break.

A slew of small, round pebbles were strewn around her hooves. Grasping one with her magic, she tossed it recklessly at the water, as if the lake had been the cause of all her ailments. It landed with a gurgling wet _thlump!_ She never did understand the art of skipping stones. As a filly, every time she attempted, it would always just break the surface of the water and sink down into its depths; it was disheartening back then, but just seemed juvenile now. Celestia, on the other hoof, could most likely make a pebble skip for miles before it was consumed. She knew _exactly_ how hard to toss it and _exactly _when to cease her magic to make it jump.

Of course she did.

She could do anything.

Luna's aura gripped another one of the tiny rocks, eyeing the water critically. She drew the pebble back like an archer preparing a bow. Flinging it forward, she let go of her magic and-

A thought collided with her brain.

Her pupils dilated. Her heart began to hammer. Her breathing stopped.

What if Twilight was only with her because she couldn't be with Celestia?

The pebble hit the surface of the water, and disappeared underneath the surface.

Luna's ears lowered limply, the realization sinking in like her failed rocks descending to the bottom of the lake. Her theory made an unsettlingly large amount of sense, the possibility of it being true appearing greater and greater as her mind cut deeper into its core. _Second fiddle, _a dark, familiar voice mocked from the abyss of her thoughts. Green eyes flashed once, then vanished. _You're merely the second best thing. Second, second, second._

Luna shook her head violently, then chucked another stone in the same manner.

The atmosphere subtly appeared brighter, the water glistening with the golden streaks of the rising, infant sun. It peeked its rounded head slowly above the horizon and turned the sky into a carefully blended canvas of color. Her sister was raising her attuned celestial body, Twilight no doubt right by her side and watching the spectacle intently, her mind alive with the awe of a starstruck filly.

Celestia would always have her way; it may as well have been a sacred law. She could hear it clear as day (why couldn't it be as clear as night?): her sister on a podium far above her subjects, peering down on them like the proud ruler she was. '_I, Princess Celestia of Equestria,_' she would say, regality suffocating every word. '_Hereby decree that I now automatically take possession of anything that may make Luna even the slightest bit happy!_' And the crowd would cheer, cheer, cheer.

A second reflection projected itself from the water.

_ Speak of the devil._

"Luna?" Celestia's voice drafted to her ears, but she remained motionless and detached, her eyes never leaving the flat lake. When no response was given, she heard the elder one sigh.

Luna gave in. "What is it, Celestia?" The words came out like a harsh gust of wind.

"Don't play coy, sister." She sounded exasperated, as if she had just finished arguing with a particularly stubborn ambassador and a last-minute pile of work was added on her desk immediately after that. But upon looking at the miserable state of her sibling, her bitterness suddenly dissolved. "You've always worn your heart on your hoof."

"What of it?"

"I know exactly what you're feeling, Lulu." The Sun Goddess smiled down; not the cheeky, disdainful smile of earlier, but one meant to instill comfort.

"Humor me then, _Tia._" Luna's tendency to speak before thinking took over, her wit thwarting consideration. "Since thou art all-knowing and wise, please, enlighten me."

Celestia was unfazed, the concerned-yet-placid look still on her face. Luna had expected this though, her sister having dealt with her instability and overt emotional outbursts for longer than even she could recall. The elder princess tenderly draped a protective, nursing wing over her, hindering the younger one's strong-willed defenses. She gave a defeated sigh and nestled in the embrace, feeling like a humiliated child.

Celestia was gentle. Luna was brash.

That's how it always was.

"Listen closely, little one," Celestia said, the words sounding stern but landing with sympathy. "I will not say much, so take of it what you will."

Luna nodded against her fur.

She continued. "I can't say I agree with or even understand how your thoughts lead you down these self-afflicting and imprudent roads. Although, I must hand it to you, you possess quite the imagination." There was a slight tickle of laughter at that. "Twilight Sparkle is my student and my friend, and that is all. Do you truly believe I would betray you, especially in matters of the heart?"

Luna opened her mouth to protest, but the words fell short. She suddenly felt a horrific sort of stupidity crawling on her skin.

Celestia looked off into the distance, flecks of the sun illuminating her face. She went on, her voice thoughtful. "Yes, we care for each other deeply, but you mistake that for romantic love. She's simply a little passionate and overzealous, which sounds an awful lot like somepony I happen to know." She smiled down at her sister, whose dark cheeks were tinted pink in a blush.

"So, I had nothing to fret over all along." Luna sighed, an odd sensation of relief and embarrassment flooding in. "Is Twilight Sparkle still here?"

"She's at the castle, but you'd better hurry. She must return soon."

Luna wiggled herself out of her sibling's embrace, wings flared and prepping for flight. "I must admit, I feel incredibly foalish." For personal precaution, she added: "Thou did not speakest to her about this issue, correct?"

"No, I didn't tell her." Celestia laughed. "Your secret is safe with me."

At the sound of the genuine, kind-hearted laughter, Luna reflected on the image she once had of her sister on the podium, her subjects chanting and cheering...

She shuddered.

Returning to the Sun Goddess's side, a leech of guilt sucked and gnawed at her mind. She gave the strong, white neck a brief nuzzle. "I'm..." She huffed. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Celestia grinned, motioning towards the castle. "Now, go. Don't keep her waiting."

Luna returned the smile, taking off to where Twilight Sparkle would surely be expecting her, and only her.


	4. Trust

**The Stars That Circle the Moon**

Entry Four: _**Trust**_

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><p>There were certain things that bothered Twilight Sparkle more than others.<p>

Sure, she could tolerate Applejack's stubborn streak when it came to something as simple as asking for help or Rarity's tendency to overdo _everything_. She could deal with the inconvenience of Fluttershy's crippling dragon-phobia on top of Rainbow Dash's unfiltered cockiness; heck, after a while, even Pinkie's senseless sense began to make sense.

She had kept her mouth shut and complaints to herself at the Gala when fleets of guests were out to ruin her 'best night ever' with the princess (personally, she thought she deserved some sort of medal for maintaining composure despite the strong desire to just shut the door in their faces and lock them all out). She had tried her hardest to focus on the bright side of things during her first sleepover, disregarding the mindless bickering of the two other ponies. The icing on the cake was when Spike had lied and then proceeded to fly into a jealous rage over Owloysius, forcing herself to push her anger aside and actually _go find him _when he ran away.

But nothing so vexed the very core of Twilight's nerves quite like attempting to stargaze through a cloudy sky.

"Ugh!" The unicorn paced back and forth between a large telescope and... well, an even larger telescope. They protruded from the library's windows in their awkward girth, looking more like absurd and unnatural metal growths than pricey, complex astrological equipment. Impatient, she tinkered with various buttons and knobs and who-knows-what with a swift expertise that should have been beyond her years. The convoluted task appeared to require little to no thought on her end. Looking through the eyepiece, she galled out another huff of agitation. Of all the endless nights she had lined up that were free to be ruined, why did it have to be this one?

While Twilight stomped and kicked and groaned through a cosmic temper tantrum, Luna lay a safe distance away and watched with silent, amused interest. At the mercy of her guilt and how severe she allowed it to get before deciding to intervene, the princess had always thought that the younger one's little fits were a great source of entertainment. Seeing a pony who prided herself on logic and rationality get swept up in such intense bouts of frustrated passion proved to quell her dark humor's taste for irony. It was akin to the morbid hypnotism of a train wreck or sinking ship, and she just couldn't look away.

"Pray tell, my love," she said, crossing her front hooves with the kind of graceful, yet bored absence only she was able to perfect. "What has thee in such a frantic state?"

Twilight didn't even spare her a glance, completely consumed in her own little world of adjustments and calibrations and configurations. "A comet that only comes around once every one-hundred-twenty years is supposed to be visible tonight and-" She gave a small grunt as she meddled with an insubordinate latch that refused to make itself unstuck. "...The pegasi have kept it overcast for _three whole days_. I can't miss this oppo- Ahh!" To her surprise, the stubborn piece had decided to cooperate, detaching itself completely from the telescope. The unexpectedness of it made her stumble about with the grace of a cannon ball being shot straight into the ground, but she caught herself on a bookshelf before it had the chance to get ugly or embarrassing. She sighed in relief, but the relief deflated into disappointment as she frowned at the imperfect, severed part in her hoof. "Oh, it broke..."

Luna rose, making her way towards Twilight and peering down at the curious, obscure object. She cocked her head. "I must say, in my day, a telescope was merely a telescope."

The scholar seemed to ignore that, bouncing back to the task at hand as hectic and determined as ever. A restless purple eye looked into the small glass of the scope for the umpteenth-and-a-half time, scouring the sky as if its eternal expanse were something fleeting and temporary, able to vanish without a trace at any given moment. With her attentive pupil still fixated in place she somehow managed to move the bulky monster of the apparatus a considerable ways to the left, much to Luna's bewilderment; she was so small and the sizable thing seemed so _heavy_, even with the aid of the equally ample tripod.

Obsessive engagement and humorous instability aside, it was a spectacle, really, watching Twilight slip away into the trance of her work. Despite how the complete emotional investment took a toll on her, she seemed so at home there. It was as if she were born with a golden spyglass in her hoof and the cartography of the stars already illustrated in her head. Had an artist been asked to capture the scene, the unicorn would have blended into the background with ease, natural and unnoticed in her rightful place. Perhaps one night Luna would have the astrological expert herself teach her the ins and outs and in-betweens of these newfangled contemporary telescopes; she'd be a rotten liar if she said she wasn't the least bit flattered by the impressive instruments built for the sole purpose of observing the science of her sky.

Oh, how things change.

"A-_ha!_" As sudden as the latch breaking, a familiar zany smile shattered the previous downward curve of Twilight's lips. She reached up and turned the knob closest to her, which the princess could only assume meant that the lens was being focused (or something along those lines).

Another indiscernible and borderline insane coo of victory erupted from her, the unsettling grin growing larger. "Luna, come here. Look!" Twilight backed away from the telescope, allowing the princess to peer through the eyepiece. "Do you see it?"

"What exactly is 'it' that I'm supposed to be looking at?"

"I thought I saw a star. That means the clouds are starting to break, meaning I still may have a chance to observe the comet, meaning I won't have to wait another one-hundred-twenty years for it to come around again, meaning I won't have to end up developing a way to synthetically increase my longevity!" She clapped her hooves together like a joyous filly. "Is it still there?"

Luna frowned. "I am unsure of how to break it to thee, Twilight Sparkle," she said, brow furrowed as her intent gaze beheld nothing. "But that is a light from a tower in Canterlot."

"...What."

Twilight scurried to the other telescope, making haste and doing her best to adjust it analogous to its partner, albeit lacking her usual controlled finesse. She shoved her eye into the glass in a way that would have been sure to warrant a howl or two of pain and perhaps an emergency visit to the optometrist, but she was unfazed; vital clues and secrets of the macrocosm were at stake here!

With quick sessions of trail and error, she finally landed on the beacon of hope she had assumed was a star. She zoomed out, the small details of the world filtering into view. The burdensome clouds became more than just an abyss of dark grey as their bloated contours appeared clearer and clearer with each twist of the clasp. Sense of direction developed as the tip of a distant, but identifiable, regal architecture blocked the path of the objective lens and...

Sure enough, a light flickered from the window of a high tower, performing its best impersonation of a star as it twinkled with inconspicuous innocence.

"Wow," she said, her tone as flat as a scorched prairie. "I can't - I mean, it doesn't..." She allowed her body to go lame as she fell back on her rump in disbelief. "Just, wow."

Luna offered a sympathetic look, attempting to match it with a smile but, as always, it came up short. She gave a curt laugh, nervous and strained. "I suppose we shall begin our research regarding thy longevity then?"

Twilight replied with a bested shrug, the gravity of disappointment weighing her down. "Oh, well." Her once triumphant gleam had been casted out like a filthy dog from a spotless house, ashamed to have let down its master with the crass dirt. "There are plenty more comets in the sky, I guess. Heh."

_Ahh, utilizing poor jokes to mask the slings and arrows of personal failure_, Luna thought, hushing the urge to roll her eyes. _Never change, Twilight Sparkle_.

Said-unicorn perused at the two massive telescopes with grudging dread, as if she had just now been hit with the realization of their sheer immensity. How in Equestria did she even get those here in the first place? With a sigh that seemed to have derived from her core, she stood up and dragged herself over to them. The dreaded notion that this whole thing was in vain had started to float in her gut. "Well," she said, tapping a mindless and distracted hoof over the base of the contraption. "I guess we'd better clean this up."

As Twilight lunged into the grueling process of unscrewing and unwinding and unfastening, Luna remained a statue. The only hint of life existed in the subtle burn behind her eyes as she mulled over the situation with disapproval, almost able to hear herself _tsk_ away. All of her precious scholar's effort thrown back in her face like a spoiled child receiving the wrong flavor of lollipop. All of that energy she had expended during the day just to prepare for the night, now converted to nothing but dejection. Gazing at Twilight in the same manner in which Twilight had surveyed the sky, she now understood. All at once, the way those wonderful shoulders slumped or how those eyes seemed to lose that curious vigor became the very bane of Luna's existence.

No, no, no, a disheartened Twilight Sparkle simply would not cut it.

But what to do, what to do?

"Uh, Luna? Are you okay?" Twilight peeped her head out over one of the tripod's lengthy legs, looking at the princess as if she were the most peculiar thing to ever live and breathe on this earth. She gestured a hoof towards her, one eyebrow cocked in concern. "You're just... standing there."

Her mind gave a mighty _huzzah!_

"Dost thou still wish to observe the comet?"

Twilight's odd stare revamped itself into something tangled between confusion and intrigue. Her hoof fell from the clamp it was working at. "Huh?"

"The comet," Luna said as a beaming, self-satisfied smirk played at her lips. "Dost thou still desire to see it?"

"Of course." The unicorn's ears perked as she removed herself from the throes of her mechanical clean-up. "I'd love to. That would be amazing." Her voice held an unexpected shine of optimism that sounded all wrong when it landed upon her ears, speaking with a tongue that wasn't hers. Eyes narrowing, she stalked over to the alicorn with academic, yet suspicious, interest. "But that's a little impossible, don't you think?"

"Ha, I was expecting that very answer." With the full intent of being condescending, Luna closed the gap between them and tussled Twilight's hair as if she were a filly asking ridiculous questions. "Ever the skeptic, I see. Is it truly so unusual to think that I may be able to solve this predicament?"

The younger one glared as she wriggled away, although the daggers that shot from her stare may as well have been toys because they were rendered harmless with the inclusion of her involuntary grin; a side-effect Luna seemed to have on her.

"Okay, okay, you obviously have some kind of plan," Twilight said, allowing her spirits to rise and loosen up, if only just a tiny bit. "Please, o' wise and noble Princess Luna, guardian of the night and sovereign of the moon, enlighten my feeble mind and show us the way to the comet!"

"Sovereign of the moon?" She placed a silver-lined hoof to her chin in a thoughtful daze. "That title would be quite easy to get accustomed to."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

"Very well then," she said, then dished out a theatric cough for added effect. Casting a gentle shadow over the smaller pony, her wings unfurled to their full lithe glory. Her grin was exaggerative but sincere, stretching as wide as her wingspan. "Hop on."

Twilight, however, did not share the princess' exuberant enthusiasm. Her face fossilized into a blank stare as her mind was hollowed out, unsure of what exactly to make of this. "So," she began, taking an oafish step back. "You want me to...?"

"I am going to take thee above the clouds," Luna said, sauntering towards the nearest window and pushing it open. "Place thyself on my back. 'Tis a comet thou craves, then a comet thou shalt receive."

"Listen, I appreciate the offer and everything but, uh..." An apprehensive frown took charge of Twilight's features. She looked away and rubbed the back of her head. "I don't really think this is going to work."

"Oh?" Luna twirled to face the offending unicorn, small specks of perplexity dotting her face. "And why not?"

"Uhm, well, you see-" An audible gulp escaped the confines of Twilight's throat as she pawed at the floor, studying every inch of the library except for where the princess stood; turning her down was the last thing she wanted to do. "It just doesn't seem too, ya know, safe."

Luna pursed her lips, her expression inscrutable. "Then I am still considered dangerous?"

"No, no! Nothing like that!" She had to stop herself from jumping out of her own skin. _Wrong thing to say, Twilight._ "It's the whole flying deal that throws me off."

"Not fond of flying? Is that so?" The Goddess of the Moon left her perch at the window and snaked her way towards the unicorn, something sly replacing her once unreadable features. "That's a bit... peculiar."

Twilight lumbered back as the darker mare stalked closer. "Uh, what's so peculiar about it?"

"Oh, nothing really," Luna said, leaving the defenseless pony flattened and cornered against a bookshelf with no means of escape. "Just the fact that my sister told me something _very_ different. Strange, is it not?"

The faithful student's eyes widened. "Wait, what exactly did Princess Celestia tell you?"

"T'was actually a rather cute story, if I may be so bold, about how she would occasionally allow thee to ride on her back whenever she took flight." Luna bopped a baffled Twilight on the nose. "A bit curious how I request the same thing, yet I am denied. It appears a lack of trust is involved."

"These are two completely different situations!" Twilight began using her hooves to talk in anxious habit, as if they added any justification. "I was just a little filly and you're not exactly Celestia-sized."

"Ahh, I've always been the thinner one." Luna smirked; a beautiful, sinister thing. "I'll be sure to let her know."

"Don't you dar- Hey, put me down!" But it was too late. A magical aura the hue of the deep ocean ensnared Twilight and she was thrust into the air like a limp ragdoll, any movement made impossible by the enchanted restraint.

"Gotcha!" Luna snickered as she levitated the smaller pony into position between her wings, who flailed around with desperate abandon. "My deepest apologies, love."

The princess dove into her night with an elegant, cultivated glide.

* * *

><p>"Are you <em>crazy?<em>" Twilight had her arms seized around Luna's neck in a vise, hanging on for dear life as the alicorn bobbed and weaved her way through the wall of thick grey clouds. She plowed right through them now and again, much to the younger pony's dismay, and the pair were sprayed with what seemed like a gargantuan sea of mist each time.

"No," Luna said, turning her head to the side to get a better view of the terrified pony who clung onto her like string to a balloon. The princess shot Twilight an impish look, although she was unable to catch it in the midst of the blustery turbulence and jerking. "But that tends to be quite a popular opinion when concerning the likes of me."

Weightless and steering through the evening with a knowing mind, the dark mare ascended higher still. The cool dusk air gushed through their manes and whipped it behind them in incongruous strands, one pony enjoying the experience far more than the other. In the wake of her return, Luna had been too preoccupied and downright busy to be reacquainted with the serene bliss of her night on a personal level such as this. When was the last time she had left her afflictions discarded on the earth and just sailed through the night sky? When was the last time she allowed the placidity of darkness to soothe her weary head? It may have been eons.

At last her target became locked in sight, the rampart of clouds proving to be more dense than expected. With one definitive furious flap of her wings, Luna bulldozed her way out of the heavy overcast and into the clear stillness high above the ground. A chilly new atmosphere nipped at their coats but every breath felt crisp and pure, as if using their lungs for the first time. She fluttered onto a cloud in the manner of a hummingbird, planting her hooves on the cottony surface.

"We've arrived!" Luna smiled - not a haughty smirk or a smug grin, but a genuine smile. "Twilight, loo-"

"What in Equestria was that all about?" Twilight heaved, edging towards hysteria. The princess was able to feel the rapid rise and fall of the unicorn's chest against her back, heartbeat in a frenzy. "I could have gotten killed!"

"Look up, darli-"

"I mean, I could've easily fallen off at any given moment! Then what, huh?"

"My dear, plea-"

"Trying to perform my cloud-walking spell is out of the question. I'm too worked up, it would backfire!"

"Just loo-"

"And don't even get me started on how we're supposed to get back do-"

"_TWILIGHT SPARKLE, IT WOULD BE IN THY BEST INTEREST IF THOU CEASED SPEAKING IMMEDIATELY_."

The scolded pony dug herself into Luna's mane, squeaking a muffled reply. "...sorry."

Sighing, the princess lay down on the plushy mass of fluff; perhaps this truly was a bad idea. "I assure thee," she said, once again craning her neck to peer behind her. "It would be worth all the trouble if thou took the liberty to _look up_."

With slow reluctance, Twilight withdrew her head from Luna's mane and left the safe haven of the ethereal field behind. Pushing herself to override the nauseating feeling of being so elevated above anything even remotely comforting and familiar, she forced her eyes upward.

Twilight gasped.

Stars. Millions upon millions of them, all organized in their elaborate cosmic stencil and shimmering at what seemed like a mere arm's length away. They scintillated against the black mask of the night, beaming through as if they were beautiful, vulnerable blemishes in its dark facade. The vast volume of the shadowy side of the heavens stretched and encompassed what could only be measured in eternity, enclosed and endless at the same time. Twilight's mouth was agape, feeling like she could just dissipate and become one with the atmosphere. It was the seemingly impossible reality of the deepest expanse of her dreams, the kind of view she thought only obtainable in slumber.

She wrapped her arms tighter around Luna's neck.

The princess gave a light chuckle, as soft as the cloud they were on. "Feel better?"

"I..." Her voice was distant, gawking up at her private utopia with glazed irises. "I don't know what to say..."

"I would not say much," Luna motioned her head somewhere off to the left. "Because thy comet hath arrived, if I am not mistaken."

And as if it couldn't get any better, there it was, even closer than the stars. Twilight marveled at the astral spectacle with a sense of wonder she hadn't felt since her first Summer Sun Celebration. The sphere of icy rock tore through the tranquil darkness as its blazing tail seemed to rip the sky in two, forging a flowing wound of brilliant luminance. It flashed across her eyes and reflected back into the breadth of the night like a black mirror. An astonished chill zapped through her bones, eliciting a faint quiver; oh my gosh, it was just so _close_.

It buried itself into the horizon, and then it was gone.

Silence.

"Even I must admit," Luna said after a while. "That was rather remarkable."

"I can't thank you enough for this." Twilight nuzzled into the princess' back, a heave of honest contentment slipping from her lips. "I feel like I could stay here forever."

"Ha, perhaps not forever," Luna snorted, her horn glowing like the stars overhead without warning. Twilight expelled a surprised mewl of protest, yet again a hostage in the net of the Night Goddess' magic. Now laying on her back, she positioned the smaller pony on top of her, who clasped herself around the alicorn in reflexive fear. "But we can stay the night here, if thou so desires."

"Like, sleep?" Twilight looked up at her, eyebrow cocked. "Here? On a cloud? High above anything and everything?"

"That is the general idea, yes."

"I'm not so sure about that," Twilight said, heart beginning to pound with just the thought of all the horrors this situation was capable of unleashing. "Let's say I toss and turn while I sleep; one false move and I plummet to my death."

And like the comet, Luna's mood dove right into nothingness.

_Here we go again._

"Without my spell, this is a deathtrap!" Twilight could almost already feel herself free falling through the air like a bird whose wings had given out, awaiting that dreaded moment of impact. It was just so, so, so far down! A lump starting to manifest itself around the rim of her throat, she swallowed hard. "In fact, we should probably start heading ba-"

"No."

Twilight froze. _If looks could kill_. "What?"

"I said no."

"W-why not?" If possible without severe life-ending consequences, she would have yanked away.

Luna was peering off into the void, something troubling and deep-seated jerking the corners of her lips into a stifled scowl; an indistinct part of her even appeared taken aback. She remained in that form for a bit, lost in some stained sector of her archaic brain. Twilight contemplated regaining her attention, but wisely decided against it.

"Ahh, thou slayeth me, Twilight Sparkle," the princess said after a time, ears down and pressed against her head. "This is the second time tonight thy faith in me hath been doubted."

"My faith in you?" Twilight frowned. "What do you mean?"

"First, there was hesitance to fly with me. Now, there is refusal for a mere rest in the comfort of clouds." Luna finally focused down at the pony in her arms, who had to stop herself from flinching when she noticed the dimness that loomed over the alicorn's face. "As if I would ever so much as allow anything to happen to thee."

"I didn't mean..." Something surged inside Twilight, something she couldn't quite pinpoint or attach a name to. The feeling was contrite and stammering and horrid, making her chest crumble inside itself. Whatever it was, she wanted it to stop. "I was just being..."

"Do not think me offended. This apprehension comes as anything but a shock." Luna gave a taxed smile. "In fact, it may very well be the appropriate response considering my less-than-sterling history."

_Guilt_, Twilight concluded; the gnashing stab of pain had been guilt. With the beast now properly named, it swelled and went on with its rampage. _Oh, boy._ Her stomach warped itself into vile knots, tight winding coils intricate enough to put even the most talented contortionist to shame. _What did I just get myself into?_

"It has nothing to do with that, I promise!" The unicorn hoped her pleas weren't in vain. She began throwing mental jabs at herself, this certainly not the first time she had found herself playing the role of her own worst enemy. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"An apology is unnecessary." Luna's straining effort to keep her reactions in check became obvious. Her voice was still soft, but it wavered ever so slightly in an odd fluctuation of aggression and anguish. "I have brought this upon myself."

"Luna, listen-"

"No, _thou_ must be the one to listen." One of her wings gave an unconscious twitch against the cloud as something in the atmosphere shifted and intensified. It felt as if the spirit of cold itself had breathed over them, the already brisk air growing even more frigid. "Art thou listening?"

Twilight gave a wild nod.

"Good." Luna's lips curled into a brief half-hearted smirk, a grin which had ended as soon as it began and fell before being able to reach her eyes. She prepped herself with a sigh before continuing. "It's funny, I seem to have accidentally placed a curse upon myself."

"A curse? What kind of curse?" The younger pony piped up despite herself. She couldn't help it, questions and inquiries were her one true weakness. "Not literally, of course."

"Is it not clear?" She furrowed her brow as if the answer were the most blatant thing in the world. "For the whole of my existence, I have been plagued with suspicion. Fear. Aversion. Mistrust." Biting her bottom lip with a previously unseen nervousness, she was absorbed in thought. "And I acted upon those judgements rather... poorly, although I need not explain; ha, I'm sure everyone is familiar with _that_ tale by now. As I should have foreseen, my foolish response did very little to aid my reputation. I even recognize that old reluctance in Celestia on occasion, but she would rather lose her horn than admit she carries even the smallest of doubts about me."

Twilight just gazed up at the dark mare and took everything in, the cloud a makeshift classroom as she listened to a lamenting lecture. _Guilt_; the word still squeezed around the contours of her conscience. How could she forget that, because of the celestial body she was attuned to, Luna was the personification of sensitivity? She was more than accustomed to the vehemence of the Night Goddess' fluid emotions, so how could she fail to recall how they waxed and waned like the moon itself? Twilight was supposed to be the exception, believing in the misconstrued princess and following her to the ends of the earth. Instead, she was doing a pretty good job at fading into the crowd that used to throw stones.

_I should've known!_

"I hath been subjected to distrust all my life," Luna went on, shoulders rising and falling in a shrug that seemed out of place and a tad too casual. "I completely understand thy uncertainty in remaining here."

Twilight remained silent, her head steaming as it boiled over all the ways to fix this mess. She peered down to the earth below and _oh gosh oh no that was a bad idea_. Tearing her head away from the nerve-wracking sight, she gulped. Venn diagrams and probability charts lined her mental vision as she attempted to somehow measure the chances of her plunging to the ground in the middle of sleeping, her bed being the alicorn she was currently laying on. The younger pony turned a meek eye up to her; Luna appeared so crushed and glum in her crestfallen state. It was a mirror image of her countenance during the rocky start of her first Nightmare Nigh-

Twilight's mind snagged onto something. A flashing image of Pip losing his balance and splashing into the water, Luna darting to save him without a second thought before anyone else could even begin to react. She had overlooked the way he and the others had been shrieking and running from her all night - disregarding their relentless offense and ill treatment - just to rescue him, the best of intentions tracing her heart.

At the time, he had only repaid her by accusing her of wrongdoing.

_Luna? Letting me fall?_ Twilight thought, curbing the compulsion to burst out laughing at her own streak of senselessness. _Willingly wanting to cause harm?_

"We should be going," the Night Goddess said. A miserable sort of emotional fatigue had painted itself on her face, as if she had just finished spending hours on end reliving every single horrendous moment of her life without stop. She looked almost childlike in her poorly-masked despondence, blameless and innocent.

_What was I thinking?_

No, no, no, a disheartened Princess Luna simply would not cut it.

The alicorn began to stir, which acted as a cue for Twilight to prepare herself for the descending flight home; but the unicorn did not wait for the chance to be entangled yet again in a magical blue aura. Instead, she planted a firm hoof on either side of Luna's shoulders.

"What art tho-"

With a self-satisfied smirk learned from the best, she pushed the larger pony back down on the cloud with resolved haste. "We're staying."

"We are?" Luna blinked.

"Yes," Twilight said, nestling into the warm crook of the princess' neck, casting uneasiness into oblivion. It was better than safe - she felt invincible. Why couldn't she see it before?

_Because you were too worried about the ridiculous notion of falling to your death._

Oh, yeah. That.

"Thy mind hath been changed, I assume?" The dark mare gave the pony nuzzling her a beam of anxious hope, stuck in the unsettling limbo between winning first prize or going home empty-hoofed.

Rather than seeing the gesture itself, she instead felt Twilight as she nodded into her fur.

"So," the princess continued, not breaking into a smile quite yet in fear of jinxing herself. "This means...?"

"Yes, Luna," Twilight giggled. "I trust you."

They soon ebbed into sleep, safe together on their little patch of cloud and sheltered under the blanket of infinite stars.


End file.
